It’s been a few days now since Germany deservedly won their fourth World Cup title. The team is back in Germany, was celebrated live by over 500,000 fans in Berlin and is now off on vacation. So now that we’ve all calmed down a bit (it might take me a bit longer), it’s time to reflect on this accomplishment, how the national team got to this point and what it all really means.

The first kick-start to what we witnessed on Sunday actually transpired in the summer of 2000. Germany had just been knocked out of the Euros in humiliating fashion by, of all teams, Portugal. It was an unmitigated disaster. It was time to act, and not just simply in a knee-jerk “let’s sack the manager” type of way as is the case in many nations, but in a “we need to change how we do everything” type of way.

German football simply wasn’t talented enough anymore. Too long had the DFB (German FA) been wresting on the laurels of the 1990 & 1996 generation of teams that had won World Cup and Euros titles. But it wasn’t simply a matter of the DFB changing it’s methodology, the German clubs were the ones that truly had to change. Developing a single national academy and training complex, along with changing the coaching schooling would do nothing. The clubs had to make immense contributions to the development of young German players, otherwise it would result in nothing (please take note of that England). They also needed to tap into the new immigrant generation of dual-nationals. But such a massive change would not happen over night. But as with anything Germans set their minds to, it would be done methodically, not with haste and to perfection.

Each club in the top two tiers of German football would be required to invest into youth academies and youth coaching to develop more and better German talent. The question still remained as to what type of talent; old school or new school? A second place finish at a weak 2002 World Cup glossed over some still existing short-comings, but another horrible Euros campaign in 2004 put the final nail in the coffin of the old ways. It ushered in the era of Klinsmann and Löw. They saw the possibility for a more attacking and technical brand of football. The first great talents of the new academy structure began to emerge at this time (e.g. Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Podolski), combined with already existing talented players (e.g. Ballack and Klose). In the much maligned lead up to the 2006 World Cup on home soil there were no expectations and many critics of this new way of doing things but the critics were wrong, dead wrong. The only thing stopping this new Germany from winning the title that year was a much more experienced and clever Italy side.

When Löw took over after that tournament, he continued the previously established vision of a more technical and attacking Germany, but the side was still developing. Their problem was that they ran into a Spain side in 2008 that was climbing its own summit of footballing rebirth, and Germany just weren’t ready yet. In 2010 it was once again the Spanish that ended Germany’s title dreams, but the continued development of world-class youth talent was clearly evident, as many members of that squad had won the 2009 U-21 Euros.

Löw was beginning to sense that Germany could begin to completely dominate opponents much like the Spanish, and changed his philosophy from a fast counter-attacking one, to a more “tiki-taka”-esque style. But he too was still learning and in 2012 he out-thought himself against Italy and his squad didn’t have the mental fortitude just yet at that time.

So now we reached this World Cup and what happened on Sunday. Germany were one of the early favorites heading into the tournament, but most “experts” favored the likes of Brazil (fail), Argentina (slight fail) or Spain (massive fail) over Germany, especially after difficult performances against Ghana and Algeria. But what we saw in this tournament was exciting from Germany and also a bit extraordinary. Both Löw and his players matured right in front of our eyes. After Algeria, Löw changed his philosophy mid-tournament, this is a massive feat for us stubborn and always self-assured Germans. He went away from the “Pep System” and instead played a system much more adapt to German players’ skills and attitudes. It was power-possession football with a ruthless and efficient mind set (plus he moved Lahm back to right back). This team, after facing some psychological blows before and during the tournament (the 4-4 vs Sweden in qualifying, losing the best German player Marco Reus just prior to the start, almost losing to Algeria, plus the near misses since 2006), was not going to be stopped by anybody anymore. They dismantled Brazil (and sent them into their own footballing rethink) and ruthlessly outlasted Argentina to win the World Cup.

They were the most complete team of the tournament and nobody deserved it more. It was a process born out of the ashes of failures in 2000 and 2004. But these exact failures have created a true footballing powerhouse in Germany once again, much like in the 1970’s. Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund are some of the most dominant and exciting clubs in the world. Germany also develops some of the most astute and intelligent young coaches in the world. And Germany churns out the best and most exciting young talent. Proof of this is found in the fact that of the 2009 U-21 Euro champions, six players that destroyed England 4-0 that day featured in Sunday’s final (Neuer, Boateng, Hummels, Höwedes, Özil, Khedira). As a contrast, only James Milner made it from that England squad to this World Cup and only played 76 minutes in the meaningless draw versus Costa Rica.

So what does this mean for the future? Will Germany repeat the mistakes of past champions by clinging to their past heroes for too long (like they did in 1994 and 1998)? The answer is: not likely. While other nations need to go back to the drawing board and systematically change the infrastructure and philosophies on their possible roads to success (e.g. Brazil, England and Italy), sit down and reshuffle the deck for the next step (e.g. Spain, Argentina, the Netherlands) or simply mature and grow into a possible contender for titles (e.g. Belgium and Colombia), Germany are most likely only going to grow in their ambition and success.

They want to win the Euros again and become the first repeat World Cup champion since Brazil in 1962. Some will fade from the side in the next 2-4 years (e.g. Klose, Lahm, Schweinsteiger, Podolski), but others will only be getting to their best years in that time (e.g. Reus, Hummels, Neuer, Müller, etc.), with many more still to come (e.g. Draxler, Durm, Ginter, Volland, etc.). Systematically rooting out their endemic problems and methodically building to a future goal set Germany on this road to success and with the continued development of this system, Germany will be absolute top title contenders for many tournaments still to come and will, most assuredly, overtake Brazil as THE country one thinks about when one thinks of soccer.

It’s another 4th of July knock-out game at a World Cup for Germany. The last time was eight years ago in Germany when Die Mannschaft lost a thrilling semi-final to eventual champions Italy. Joachim Löw, who was the assistant coach that night, will hope for a different result against France on Friday. Following the very tight victory over a hard fighting and tactically well-schooled Algeria, many have questioned Germany’s credentials for winning this year’s title. However, watching fellow title contenders Brazil, Argentina, Belgium, Holland and opponents France struggle and barely defeat their “weaker” opponents underlines the fact that their simply aren’t any easy games left at this level.

That being said, not all is well for Germany. Löw’s continued insistence of playing Philipp Lahm as the sole holding midfielder, and having center backs play in fullback positions leaves Germany vulnerable. Fast and technically skilled players can and will exploit this tactical nuance; Algeria did and so will France.

One thing that became immediately apparent when watching Germany’s mainly first half struggles was that Mats Hummels was sorely missed. Not only does he have much more pace than Mertesacker or Boateng, but he is key for developing play from the back. Versus Algeria, both Mertesacker and Boateng seemed clueless and unsure when they were asked to fill this role, and their lack of pace forced the world-class keeper Manuel Neuer to rush out of his box way too many times. But Hummels is scheduled to play against France, having recovered from his viral infection, which will most likely see Boateng once again moved to right back. And this is where the real debate starts. When Mustafi got injured, Löw brought on Sami Khedira and moved Lahm to right back. Almost immediately Germany had a better shape, was more threatening moving forward and dominated the central midfield positions.

Since then, most everybody has been pleading, some might say begging, to have Löw use this formation moving forward. The problem is that Löw is incredibly stubborn, but at Wednesday’s press conference, goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke said that playing Lahm at right back is being discussed.

So you say there’s a chance? I say there is.

With Mustafi going down injured, Germany are starting to run out of defenders. An idea could be to have Lahm play at right back and sit Boateng on the bench for added cover should there be any more injuries. I do, however, see this as a misplaced discussion. Boateng is a decent right back. The biggest issue for Germany is at left back. Benedikt Höwedes simply isn’t a left back. PERIOD! He’s a good center back. For years, Lahm was one of the world’s best left backs. That is where Löw should play him or maybe consider the youngster Erik Durm who never seemed to show any nerves when playing powerful opposition last season with Dortmund.

Moving Lahm to a full back position not only will strengthen Germany’s back line and better help support attacking movements, but it will help counter-act France’s biggest strength; their central midfield. How? Very simple. The physical presence and work rate of Sami Khedira, coupled with that same intensity of Bastian Schweinsteiger will make life increasingly uncomfortable for the likes of Cabaye, Pogba and Matuidi. These key figures won’t be able to dictate the play in the same way as they did in previous matches. In attack, I would stick with Özil, Götze and Müller. Though Schürrle’s pace and never-give-up motor changed the game versus Algeria, I think Löw would be wise to keep him in his hip pocket for a change of pace if needed in the second half (or if Özil and Götze once again refuse to work back in defense).

Despite the struggles against Algeria, especially in front of goal, Germany should be seen as favorites. A frustrating part of Germany’s game has always been that they seem to play down to their weaker opposition. On the other side of that coin though, Germany are always up for it against quality opposition. And even though France have some added motivation, since Germany twice knocked out Platini’s golden generation in 1982 and 1986, the tough fight Germany had against Algeria will focus their minds and bring out those old German values of grit and never-say-die attitude.

Thursday is the final match day in Group G, and none of the teams in the Group of Death are 100% through or 100% nor are they knocked out. Germany also belongs to this group, though their position is the least precarious, as they would need a colossal collapse against the USA and either Ghana or Portugal would need an epic and high scoring victory. Neither one of these scenarios is likely to happen, with the least likely being that “Die Mannschaft” will fall to pieces.

Though the USA will pose a stiffer challenge than some may have suspected, Joachim Löw’s squad have more than enough quality to at least get the crucial point needed (for both teams) to move on. For those fearing a scandalous match like the one seen in Gijon in 1982, where Austria and Germany played out a horrible draw to see both sides through, don’t worry. That’s in neither in Löw’s nor in Klinsmann’s mentalities.

So what must Löw do after a Ghana match in which Germany did show some weaknesses? For starters, many (including myself) are calling for Lahm to be moved back to right back where he’s the world’s best. He just hasn’t looked as comfortable in central midfield as he has for Bayern this past season. But Jogi isn’t likely to do that, even if Boateng doesn’t play. Instead, if Boateng is fit, he’ll start there. If not, Höwedes would be the next best fit. He certainly isn’t performing well out of position on the left, but would be more at home in a position that he has played for Schalke in the Bundesliga (though he’s still a learned center back and best suited for that role). Hummels and Mertesacker are set and are a world class pairing so far.

A great change would be to put Erik Durm at left back, where he starred for Dortmund this season. His pace, attacking prowess and excellent defensive positioning will not only close down the USA’s best attacking side (with Fabian Johnson), but he will also be able to exploit situations where Johnson is caught up field. This is also a reason why Löw should seriously consider starting Lukas Podolski on the left wing. He’s not only fast, but also has a better defensive work rate than Özil or Götze, thus once again closing down the most dangerous attacking wing for the USA.

Beyond that, I would hope Schweinsteiger starts for Khedira, who failed to impress against Ghana. Schweini, on the other hand, brought energy, pace and organization to a center midfield that needed it. Schweinsteiger can also help counteract the physical nature of Jones and Beckerman with high quality passing of his own. I still wouldn’t start Klose, though I wouldn’t be surprised to see him come on later in the match, especially if Germany needs a goal. The problem is that Löw doesn’t like to make many changes the a side during a tournament, though I am very confident we will see changes, with a Schweinsteiger inclusion being the most likely of those I’ve mentioned.

If Germany are given space and the USA simply sits deep then it will be a good day for Joachim Löw’s squad. If they can build up their rhythm then no team in the world can stop them. But since the USA won’t try to out play them, but maybe try to be very physical and disrupt Kroos (who is susceptible to that) it will be a tight and uncomfortable affair. Despite saying that I still can’t see a way that Germany loses this match, especially if Jones loses his cool, which certainly could happen. I think a tense 2-0 is on the cards, which could spell doom for the USA, depending on what happens elsewhere. So as a German-American myself, Gijon sounds like a good alternative.

“We can compete for the title,” were the words uttered by Schalke and USA midfielder Jermaine Jones back in the July heat of the Schalke training camp. Lofty words for a club that has not won a Bundesliga league title since 1958. But the atmosphere surrounding the club was one of optimism. Schalke came off a season where they defeated their arch rivals Borussia Dortmund twice, they managed to extend the contract of the second best German talent, Julian Draxler, something the hated rivals were not able to do with Mario Götze (the best German talent in case you were wondering) and they had also signed another great talent in Leon Goretzka who chose Schalke over Dortmund. So why not make a bold statement? Because after 55 years of heartache, it is the proverbial “kiss of death” for this “workers-club” from the Ruhr valley.

Jump ahead just over two months and the club is back to its over-dramatic ways. Though they just managed to get into the Champions League group stage and have boasted two wins thus far, their domestic campaign has gotten off to a bumpy start to say the least. With just 8 points from 7 matches and sitting 14th in the table (far behind title contenders Dortmund, Bayern and Leverkusen), the club is far off the target set by Jones way back when. And where is Jones now? Well after what manager Jens Keller feels were lackluster efforts in recent matches, the US “bad boy” has been suspended by the club.

But the issues facing Schalke are much more complex than just dealing with another black-eye on Jones’ career. They lacked composure, leadership and structure at to start the season. They then landed Kevin-Prince Boateng (a self-professed Borussia Dortmund lover) in a last-minute transfer coup that seemed to lift the squad and set them off in the right direction. However, the Boateng boost didn’t last long and Schalke have been back to their erratic form; beating top-club Bayer Leverkusen one day and then blowing a 3-1 lead against Hoffenheim on another. The basic issues still remain the same. Though Schalke can look menacing moving forward, they lack structure and composure when not in possession. Despite having German international Benedikt Höwedes (who is also their captain) at the heart of the defense, they have one of the worst defenses in the Bundesliga having conceded 16 goals already this season (it took them twice as long to concede as many last season).

It’s also not just the on-the-pitch issues that plague the club. Manager Jens Keller was brought in from the youth setup to take over when Huub Stevens was let go last season. Keller is the manager that nobody wanted and sporting director Horst Heldt openly advocated for potential candidates to replace Keller, which included names like former Chelsea manager Roberto Di Matteo and, farcically, Stefan Effenberg. However, after Keller secured fourth place, he was finally given the job on a permanent basis. But the discussions about him in public by club officials neither strengthened Keller’s position with the team nor with the supporters. Now with the team struggling to find consistent good form, the doubts swirling around Keller’s suitability for the job are beginning to resurface. But Keller isn’t the only one to cast a critical eye over. Sporting director Horst Heldt seemed lost at times during the transfer window, looking for suitable players. Once Boateng was signed, some of the pressure left Heldt, but the doubts remain.

Finally, the greatest dilemma facing Schalke is the pressure of history. FC Schalke 04 was one of the great clubs in the 1930’s, ‘40’s and ‘50’s, winning no less than seven German league titles during this time. Though they’ve experience numerous German cup wins and even the mythical UEFA Cup victory over Inter in 1997, the fact that no league title has been won since 1958 is burdensome on the psyche of the club and its supporters, especially since rivals Borussia Dortmund have won the league six times since Schalke won it last.

So in terms of what needs to change, the club have made the first right step in suspending Jones, who is often more trouble than he’s worth. Boateng needs to take a greater leadership role as the season progresses, but most importantly they need defensive stability and discipline, something that only the manager can instill in them.

And so we do finally end up with a discussion if Keller is the right man for the job. That’s never easy to say from the outside looking in, but if he wants to still be in charge at Schalke come the winter break, he must get the defensive frailties worked out fast. Schalke have two easy matches coming up before they must host a dangerous Borussia Dortmund side in the “Revier Derby” on October 26. An embarrassing loss that day could send the club in a spiral they might not recover from and cost Keller his job.

Few people hold down the same job year after year in modern history, retiring from the position they began their career in. Generally speaking the higher profile a job is the harder it can be to hold onto. Football managers know this all too well, especially those in charge of a club in a high profile league. The Barclay’s Premier League is notorious for seeing managers sacked midway through the season, often times through no fault of their own. After all, some managers are asked to accomplish the impossible with limited resources and talent.

There are always exceptions to the rule. Sir Alex Ferguson has been in charge of Manchester United longer than some of the game’s best players have been alive. Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has been at the helm since 1996. These men have seen counterparts at clubs big and small in England come and go, while they maintain a grip on power.

The 2011/12 campaign in England has already seen two managers sacked during the season, and another surviving the chopping block. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich parted ways with yet another manager, Andre Villas-Boas, and Wolves axed long time manager Mick McCarthy.

Wigan Athletic’s Roberto Martinez, on the other hand, despite flirting with relegation for most of the season, has managed to avoid being sacked and following strong public support from the Chairman Dave Whelan, he has masterminded a remarkable turnaround in their form which included some high profile wins seemingly against all the odds and has now guided the club towards survival in the Barclay’s Premier League.

Mick McCarthy and Wolves parted ways on February 13 after a dismal stretch that saw Wolves go 0-4-7 in Premier League play following a 2-1 victory in December against Sunderland. Over that same stretch, Wigan Athletic managed a record of 2-4-6. It is debatable that the two victories managed by Wigan were instrumental in saving Martinez’s job, as the Chairman had already kept faith in his Manager after Wigan had earlier in the season suffered 8 consecutive defeats, a set of results that would have earned a fair number of managers the key to the door marked exit.

With his back against the wall and the team’s survival on the line, Martinez rallied his troops. Since the date McCarthy was sacked at Wolves, Martinez and the Latics have gone 4-3-3 and pulled off victories that were nothing short of miraculous. First there was the historic 2-1 victory over Liverpool. That victory was a first ever at Anfield for Wigan and moved them off the bottom of the league table. The next week a 2-0 victory over Stoke City moved Wigan even closer to safety.

The Latics weren’t done yet however as they defeated Manchester United 1-0, their first positive result against the Red Devils in 14 meetings. And less than a week later Martinez’ men defeated Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in another historic victory for the club.

No two managers are the same. Every individual that leads a group of men onto the pitch has a different style of football he expects to see from his players. Being a manager is a near thankless job. Some owners, such as Chelsea’s Roman Abramovich, are impossible to please. Just ask Carlo Ancelotti. Fan expectations, owner expectations, style of play, and managing player egos are all hazards of managing a professional club.

Roberto Martinez has shown that sometimes it just requires patience in the tough times to right the ship. No one would argue that Wigan and Wolves work with different budgets. The players available to Martinez and McCarthy were much the same in talent. In fact, Wigan reported an operating loss of £7.2 million yet were able to do what Wolves could not do in turning their season around.

Time and patience have allowed Martinez the opportunity to rework his squad and instill faith and confidence in his players. The Chairman’s loyalty has been rewarded and their survival is one of the success stories of the season and a good example of that old saying that patience is a virtue, but not an attribute we see very often in modern game.

Guest Post contributed by Sam Harvey, on behalf of www.winkbingo.com

I was born in Chicago, the youngest of three, and a son of German parents. My father was a diplomat and stationed at the German consulate in the Windy City. As was the case with his career, we moved to a new city in the world every three to five years. These cities included countries such as Italy, USA, South Africa, Estonia, and, of course, Germany. One of the challenges facing my parents was to ensure that we children understood German culture and had a bond with Germany itself, without (at least in my case) ever spending much time there. Some of this was addressed by speaking German at home and visiting our home region in Germany almost every year, but this only conveyed some of what it meant to be German. The one constant that always created a sense of community and bonding was football, particularly the Bundesliga variety.

However, one problem was that we were not living in the year 2012 where global communication and the exchange of videos, images, and information were easy. We lived in the not so distant 1980’s — a time when football was rarely ever seen on American television. My first true and distinct memory of football was when I was seven and one of my uncles had sent a video tape of the Sportschau (the German version of the Premier League Review Show) and its recap of the final match day of 1985. It was an exciting thing to behold, even for a seven-year-old. The title that year was to be decided on the very last day between Bayern Munich and Werder Bremen. This was also the first time I was to behold my future love, Borussia Dortmund. Dortmund actually played a vital role that day. By defeating Bremen 2-0 and with Bayern winning against Eintracht Braunschweig, the Bavarians secured their first championship in four years (a crisis for that club). It was the first time I saw the south stands in what was still called the Westfalen Stadion. That match day also featured games with the likes of Arminia Bielefeld, Waldhof Mannheim, Fortuna Düsseldorf and Bayer Uerdingen, none of which play in the Bundesliga today. Given the goals, the players, and the atmosphere in stadiums shown to my seven-year-old eyes that day one thing was clear: I was hooked.

I would have to wait another year before witnessing another grand spectacle of the game I was beginning to love dearly. It was the World Cup final of 1986. Though the outcome was anything but grand for us Germans, and the fact that I had to see the match on a Spanish language channel (no US station carried football then), the passion shown on the pitch and in our home will always stay with me. Despite the abridged airings of the 1990 World Cup in the US, I was able to see the final in Germany. I was twelve then and understood much more about the game that one hardly got to see in the US. It was also that summer that I first ventured into a proper football stadium. It was a warm-up match for the next Bundesliga season between FC Cologne and Preussen Münster. Even though this match did count towards Cologne’s title aspirations or Münster’s hopes of staying in the second Bundesliga, the atmosphere was electric. I could not wait to see more of the Bundesliga, and when we moved to South Africa later that year, my wish was granted.

All throughout our time in Africa, we could watch Bundesliga matches live on one of the three stations that country had at that time. I became witness to the rise of our club, Borussia Dortmund with their new manager, Ottmar Hitzfeld. The weekly ritual of watching Bundesliga matches and round-up shows was more than a tie to our country and the family we missed, but it also strengthened the ties much closer to home. The year 1992 was when my pleasure of watching the Bundesliga was altered into pure obsession. Believe it or not, Borussia Dortmund, an also-ran in the 1980’s, was vying for the title. Once again it came down to the last day of the season. It was a three team race between Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt, and VfB Stuttgart. After all the matches were done, Stuttgart, to my everlasting dismay, won the title. In the seasons that followed my boys in yellow and black would always play near the top, but never quite reach their ultimate goal.

Then in 1994, my father (and of course all of us) was stationed back to Germany. It was a dream come true for me, the football fanatic. I could not only finally play for the same local club my grandfather played for, but was within close proximity to my beloved Dortmund, who won two Bundesliga titles and the Champions League in the next few seasons. Upon graduating high school, I moved back to the USA for college and did whatever it took to see Bundesliga matches. The drama of the 2001 final day when Bayern won the title in the 92nd minute, “robbing” Schalke of their first league title since 1958 was the sort of drama that drives the passion for any Bundesliga fan.

Each trip back home to visit my family now includes ritualistic viewing of the Sportschau and a trip to the stadium of our home town (some would say village) team on Sundays. On one visit back home in 2003, I was finally able to walk into the Westfalen Stadion and watch as my Borussia Dortmund destroyed Hannover 96 in a 6-2 game. An incredible experience I shared with my father and something we talk about every time I fly back to visit.

Today, living in the USA with my wife and young son, watching Bundesliga matches together with him on ESPN3 and then the German wrap-up show on Bundesliga.com, I not only maintain my relationship with my country, but I get to pass on the culture, passion and traditions to my son in the strong belief that he too will see the Bundesliga as his German home.

Borussia Dortmund is without a doubt the hottest team in the Bundesliga at the moment, and possibly all of Europe. Having not lost in 18 league matches and winning eight in a row (10 if you count the cup) to start the second half of the season (club record), Dortmund have expanded their lead at the top of the table to seven points ahead of struggling Bayern Munich. (Get Bundesliga title odds on the FreeBets sports betting blog).

This last weekend’s demonstration of brilliant, fast-paced, attacking football against a Mainz squad that had some good moments, truly showed their class. The only weakness to be seen was the lack of utilizing the high number of chances. The 2:1 score line is closer than the game truly was. Had Kagawa and Lewandowski put away absolute sitters, a four or five goal thrashing would have been a given.

Another great sign for Dortmund is that all players have truly gelled and are playing as an attacking unit that does not get exposed in defense. Though wunderkind Mario Götze is still out injured, his replacement, Polish international Jakub “Kuba” Blaszczykowski is playing lights-out football at the moment. His link up play from the flanks with fellow Polish teammate Lewandowski are giving opponents fits, plus he is scoring goals as well. Even players that have taken longer to truly integrate into the squad, such as Ilkay Gündogan are giving great performances. When Mario Götze does get back into the squad, this Dortmund lineup will be even more potent and pose significant problems for whomever they face.

Dortmund began the season rather slow (disregarding the opening day win versus a horrid Hamburg team), and the team completely disappointed in the Champions League. The main factors for the early season woes were the fact that Dortmund underestimated the effect the departure of Nuri Sahin would have and that Gündogan could not fulfill the Sahin role yet. Since then, all of this has changed. The early exit from Europe has freed up the squad and reduced the strain of playing in three different competitions (league, cup, and Europe). Two of their main rivals for the Bundesliga crown, Bayern and Schalke are still battling it out on the European stage, which has hurt them and helped the yellow and black rivals from Dortmund.

Borussia Dortmund even exorcized their cup demons this year after beating Düsseldorf in a thrilling penalty shootout and now only have second tier Greuther Fürth standing between them and a trip to the final in Berlin, where they could face either Bayern or Borussia Mönchengladbach, another one of the four rivals for the title.

Of course Dortmund have their weaknesses. The greatest one being their inability to capitalize on the high number of chances they produce (much like an Arsenal of the past). That being said, they have scored a blazing, best in the league 52 goals this season, but it should be much more. This low conversion rate could come back to haunt them, but if the other teams that are in the hunt all continue to struggle and lose their form like last weekend, Dortmund should capture their second straight Bundesliga title (8th overall). Every team that has had a lead of five or more points at this point in the season has become champion.

With New Year’s come and gone, all Bundesliga teams have ended their brief winter vacation and have traveled to training camps in much warmer climates than Germany. Many teams have already played warm-up test matches and have begun running out their newest winter signings. The second half of the season begins with match day 18 on January 20. So with a new year many teams are looking at the rest of the season with hope and optimism, while many other teams look at it with dread and consternation.

Bayern Munich are still and will continue to be the prohibitive favorites. With midfield general Bastian Schweinsteiger training again and expected to make his first team return in the next few matches, there is much to be upbeat about in Bavaria. No giant winter signings are expected, even though I would not be surprised to see a much needed top-grade central defender move to Munich before the transfer window closes this month. The key for Bayern will be staying healthy through all three of the major competitions they are still engaged in; league, cup, and Champions League. If all stay healthy then Bayern should not have too many issues regaining the league championship. However, should Robben continue to be unreliable in terms of health and Schweinsteiger suffer a setback, then the pack following Bayern will be eager to pounce.

Champions Borussia Dortmund seem to have hit their stride (in the league) prior to the break. They made headlines by announcing the signing of wunderkind Marco Reus (though only after the season). The champs too have injury concerns. Superstar Mario Götze and defender Nevan Subotic are dealing with injuries, as are captain Sebastian Kehl and German international Ilkay Gündogan. Another worry for BVB is unhappy striker Lucas Barrios. If they are unable to move him during the transfer window he could pose a potential distraction. All that being said, Dortmund are clearly Bayern’s greatest threat for the title.

Dortmund’s bitter rival FC Schalke 04 are also making a push for the top. With Klaas Jan Huntelaar and Raul in splendid form they will certainly be a menace to the afore mentioned clubs. The biggest concern for Schalke is a defense that at times has proven to be a bit shaky, especially without a top-class keeper. Their saving grace is their attack and as soon as Jefferson Farfan is back to full fitness, no team will relish the thought of facing the “blues.”

Rounding off the current Champions League spots is the surprise team of the season; Borussia Mönchengladbach. With one of the most exciting players in Europe, Marco Reus, Gladbach are always menacing on the counter attack. They sit back and wait for the opponents to over-commit and then use their incredible speed to strike. They also have the second best defense in the Bundesliga. The question remains if last year’s miracle survival team can continue to play well above their expectations. My guess is not, but I still see Gladbach as being a team for the European spots, but probably not Champions League.

Always entertaining due to their unpredictability are Werder Bremen and Bayer Leverkusen. Both teams have a shocking goal difference for teams wishing to play in Europe next season. One game they dazzle and the next they fizzle, which in Leverkusen has already led to much speculation about first year manager Robin Dutt. If Leverkusen can find an attack and any level of consistency, they are the most likely candidate to snatch the final Champions League spot. They have achieved respectable results against the other top-six teams, only losing to Bayern, but it is horrible losses to the likes of Cologne (1:4) and Nuremburg (0:3) that have many people worried. Bremen, on the other hand, have been consistently abysmal against the top clubs. They have lost against all other top-six clubs, scoring only once and conceding 17 goals. Defense has never been their strength and as such they will continue to struggle breaking into the Champions League spots, but a Europa League spot is certainly a possibility.

A surprise team from last season, Hannover 96 are making a push towards the European places again this season. With respectable outings in the Europa League, the Lower Saxony club have regained their composure and are making life difficult for their opponents. No longer the purely counter attacking side, Hannover play a swift moving, ball control style of football. Their biggest concern has to be the lack of depth at the striker positions. Moa Abdellaoue is recovering from injury, Jan Schlaudraff is still out with injury and Didie Ya Konan is heading to the Africa Cup of Nations. Hannover tried unsuccessfully to craft a loan deal with Bayern for Nils Petersen, but neither the player nor the club were interested. Should they solidify their attack, Hannover will continue to put pressure on the clubs above them, but it is very doubtful that they will have enough depth or talent to end the season in the top-six.

VfB Stuttgart, on the other hand, do have the depth and talent to make it to European qualification. Rumor has it that they are interested in acquiring Srdjan Lakic from Wolfsburg. This would be an inspired signing for the attack, with a player that has proven his worth in the past with Kaiserslautern, even though Felix Magath never gave him a chance in Wolfsburg. Stuttgart’s greatest liability is on the bench in the form of manager Bruno Labbadia. Though he did an outstanding job in rescuing what was left of Stuttgart’s season last year, he does not have the track record to push highly talented teams beyond mediocre and inconsistent play. That being said, the talent is too good for Stuttgart not to at least contend for a top-six finish.

Hoffenheim, Cologne and Berlin are teams of inconsistency and potential turmoil. These clubs could either stay right where they are or make a disastrous run for relegation. Hoffenheim is the least likely to fall, but manager Stanislawski seems to be losing his St. Pauli magic and his team is reflecting his uncertainties by delivering too many uninspired performances for a squad full of talent.

Cologne and Berlin, though filled with young talent, as well as relegation battle veterans have off-the-pitch issues to worry about derailing their seasons. The transfer saga surrounding Cologne’s star Lukas Podolski will likely drag on through the rest of the season and could pose a major distraction for both club and player. The sooner this gets resolved, the better for all parties. Hertha Berlin have dealt with their soap opera involving the unseemly departure of Markus Babbel. All will now hinge upon the new manager’s (Michael Skibbe) ability to not sink the ship, like he managed in previous stints at Frankfurt and Leverkusen. In all likelihood, both Cologne and Berlin will be fighting off relegation for the rest of the season, but I doubt that even Skibbe will be able to drive Hertha back into the second division.

Following this group in the table are two clubs that I predict will finish much higher than their current positions; VfL Wolfsburg and Hamburg SV. Felix Magath, the king of transfers, is already adding (and subtracting) to his squad. This go-around though, he is adding more talent and lesser known commodities rather than just big name stars. His best signing (talent wise) has got to be 19-year-old Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez from FC Zurich. If Magath can will his talent laden squad to actually play up to their potential and deliver better results than in the first half of the season, Wolfsburg should begin to overtake the clubs currently still positioned above them and make a push for the European spots.

Hamburg, after a disastrous start to the season seem to have steadied the ship. New manager Thorsten Fink came from Basel and instilled tactics and confidence in a side far too talented to be facing relegation. Bit by bit the team came together and began accumulating positive results and more importantly, points. Given a full training camp and more time with his squad, Hamburg fans should be confident that Fink will have their team well out of the relegation battle soon enough. Top-six might be too much to ask for, but finishing the season in the top half of the table should be in the cards.

Mainz and Nuremburg will be battling for survival for the rest of the season. Mainz probably has the best shot to stay up, but the antics of manager Thomas Tuchel are starting to wear thin and he is not getting the same results out of his players as he did last season. Granted, he does not have Holtby, Fuchs or Schürrle this year, but this season’s biggest disappointment team still has a strong core of players. Tuchel needs to find the right recipe fast; otherwise Mainz will be in a dog fight for survival. Nuremburg too has lost many key players from their surprise squad of last season. The big question is whether Dieter Hecking can save another Nuremburg season as he did in 2010, and I have my doubts. Down the stretch, when things were very tough at Hannover and Aachen, Hecking could not survive. This time though he has much more talent at his disposal. Nuremburg will be in survival mode for the rest of the season, but should narrowly escape the drop, especially if they can achieve results like the 3:0 win against Leverkusen.

The bottom three you see now (Kaiserslautern, Augsburg, and Freiburg) will most likely be there after the last match day. None of these clubs have the resources to truly bolster their squads in the transfer window and due to a lack of strong overall talent none of these teams should be able to pull off the same miracle Mönchengladbach did last season. Kaiserslautern just always seem to find a way to lose matches, Augsburg are content with their tour of top flight stadiums and Freiburg is in complete disarray. Having sacked their manager, ostracized many of their players and sporting the worst defense in the league, Freiburg is almost certain to finish the season in an automatic relegation spot. Their only glimmer of hope is striker Papiss Demba Cisse. But the Senegalese star is off to the Africa Cup of Nations and also does not want to be in Freiburg much longer, which will once again pose a certain distraction.

When I first started watching football as a child in the mid-1980’s FC Cologne (1. FC Köln) was one of the traditional powerful clubs of the Bundesliga. Cologne was the first champion of the Bundesliga in 1963/64 and in 1978 won the “double,” which to this day is the pinnacle of success in the Rhein city. During the first three decades of the Bundesliga, Cologne produced many of the best German football stars. Stars that included the likes of Wolfgang Overath, Toni Schumacher, Bodo Illgner, Bernd Schuster, Pierre Littbarski, and Thomas Häßler, all of which won World- and/or European Cups with Germany.

 Following this tradition, Cologne produced its greatest star of the modern era; a Polish born speedster with a canon for a left foot named Lukas Podolski. Back in 2003, during a season that saw Cologne relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga, the then 18 year-old Podolski made his first team debut. Less than three years later he was named “Best Young Player” during the 2006 World Cup and transferred to Bayern Munich. His three seasons at Bayern were a tortuous affair for the young star who, despite great performances for Germany, rarely saw first team action for the Bavarians. So when the prodigal son, affectionately known as “Prince Poldi” returned to Cologne in 2009 for the sum of around 10 million Euros, the euphoria was great and so were the expectations. Equally great was the disappointment when the team and the Prince sputtered during his first season back, largely due to a cast of teammates far below his quality standards and a manager, Zvonimir Soldo who never really had much of a plan. The following season went better, but Cologne still was not producing the quality of football that the fans expected. During this season, where Podolski was named captain, the Prince expressed his frustration with the club and the fact that management had led him astray with false promises of squad investments to both compliment his quality and achieve past club success.

After a rocky start to this season, where another new manager, Stale Solbakken, controversially removed the captaincy from him to free up his play, Lukas Podolski has proven what a vital asset he truly is. Cologne currently sits in 10th spot and Podolski has been involved in 19 of the clubs 27 goals, scoring 14 of them himself. With regular center forward Milivoje Novakovic out injured since match day 8, even more of the team’s fortunes rest on Podolski’s shoulders. Prior to Novakovic’s injury, Podolski was mainly playing behind the lone striker and had scored 4 goals and given 4 of his 5 assists. Since becoming the main target he has been on a tear, scoring 10 goals in 9 matches. Lukas Podolski truly is the main reason why Cologne is not in the heat of the relegation debate at this time.

The dilemma facing Cologne and Podolski is not the here and now, but rather what to do this next summer. The star’s contract ends in 2013 and with the club’s financial constraints they cannot afford to keep Podolski unless he is willing to take less money. Therefore, before letting him go on a free transfer selling him after this season might be there only shot at getting a good transfer fee for him. Some rumors have him moving on this January, but that seems highly unlikely since Cologne desperately need him to have a chance of steering clear of relegation and finding a few adequate replacements in January is more than difficult. The question many people are asking is where he might go. Out of the Bundesliga, Schalke has expressed some interest in the attacker. There is also strong interest coming out of Italy from the likes of Lazio and AC Milan, as well as from Russia and Turkey. I personally think Podolski would also be a great fit in England, thanks to his pace, rocket shot and physical toughness.

The greatest hope most Cologne supporters have is that Podolski will elect to take less money and stay at the Rhein club. Though nobody can be sure that he will take this route, there are some grounds for hope. Podolski is a player that thrives in atmospheres where the manager and fans believe in- and support him. He is not the same 21 year-old that made the money move to Bayern. That bad experience helped him mature and prioritize his life, a big reason why he chose to come back to his beloved, yet struggling Cologne. Moving to another mega-club where he would be one among many stars might not seem as lucrative, regardless of money, when he can stay where his heart is and where he is adored as “Prince Poldi.” Cologne undoubtedly need him and if they wish to resign their Prince, they need to show some investments in other quality players. This would be the only way that Podolski might entertain taking less money, but achieving success and happiness both on and off the pitch.

Well it’s happened again. Not even a full season back in top flight football and the “old dame” Hertha has been embroiled in a soap opera of daytime TV proportions, where nobody ends up looking good. Manager Markus Babbel and Sport Director Michael Preetz were entangled in a war of words where one was trying to paint the other as a liar and claiming who did or did not say what, when. Markus Babbel, for reasons known only to him, did not want to extend his contract and the club did not want to continue with a manager that was not committed to them in the long run. What could have been resolved quietly and without both parties acting like petulant children, instead exploded into a battle fought in the media. So what was the end result? Hertha ousted Babbel after the 17th match day, but before the cup match against Kaiserslautern. Not allowing Markus Babbel the dignity of at least managing the cup match smacked of vindictiveness and immaturity. A quiet parting of the ways during the current winter break would have been the more elegant solution. Luckily for Hertha, they beat up on a lowly Kaiserslautern team, winning 3-1 and moving on to the quarterfinals where they get to tussle with Marco Reus and Borussia Mönchengladbach.

So what is next? As with any messy divorce, those left paying the price are the innocent bystanders, or in this case the fans and the team. Not only has the club been largely ridiculed in the German press and in talk shows, since Markus Babbel is generally quite well liked, they have decided to bring on a new manager who is anything but a top candidate for any serious Bundesliga club these days; or so I thought. The knight in shining armor is none less than Michael Skibbe, returning from what can only be described as football exile. After famously leading a safely positioned Eintracht Frankfurt team from 7^th in the table at the winter break (with 6 points more than Hertha have now) to an unprecedented negative streak that saw 2 points out of 8 matches and only 1 goal scored. How did that nightmare end? Well, Skibbe got sacked and Frankfurt was relegated. After that disaster, the great hope for Hertha has spent the last few months as the manager for Turkish side Eskisehirspor, a team that reportedly has had issues paying its staff and players on a regular basis.

Michael Skibbe has been a mediocre manager at best, with poor leadership and motivational skills, despite a good tactical background. As a young manager he failed at Borussia Dortmund, was part of the coaching staff for the disastrous Germany squad during Euro 2004 and had no true success with a loaded Bayer Leverkusen squad either, missing both the Champions League and Uefa Cup places after a horrible second round of matches following the winter break. His biggest success; he won the Turkish Super Cup with Galatasaray, but was later sacked due to not qualifying for the Champions League.

If I were a Hertha Berlin supporter I would be very worried. Not only have 1 ½ years of hard rebuilding work been tarnished and a popular manager given an unceremonious exit, but his replacement cannot instill any sort of confidence in squad or fans. In fact, the latest troubling occurrence is that Markus Babbel’s assistant, Rainer Widmayer, has no interest in staying at the club, but will instead wait for Babbel to receive a new job and work for him then. This raises the greater and much more troubling question that has to be asked: What is wrong at Hertha? What has driven a popular young manager and his assistant to prefer temporary unemployment over continuing the good work they had started in the German capitol?

Hertha is the biggest football show in town. Union Berlin is in the 2^nd Bundesliga and most likely won’t see top flight football anytime soon. With success, Markus Babbel could have been the talk of the town, especially after working together with the not so easy to work with Preetz in rebuilding the club’s fan base and local reputation. Despite some financial constraints from being in second tier football for a season, the club’s infrastructure is decent and the relatively young squad has plenty of potential and talent. Part of the reason for Markus Babbel’s unwillingness to extend his contract is the fact that he never truly felt at home in Berlin, travelling back to Munich every week he could, to spend time with his family. Fact is that club hero, Michael Preetz is known to be a bit difficult, which certainly grated on Babbel. Another downside is the fact that the club, tight on cash, seems to not be in a position to make many higher priced investments in the squad and instead had to settle for raw talents and cast-offs, e.g. Thomas Kraft, Tunay Torun, Andreas Ottl, etc.

At the end of the day though, only Markus Babbel himself knows why he chose to leave what seemed like a good situation. Those closest to him and former teammates commented that it is in his nature to be completely honest and not want to stay in a hopeless situation where the future would not reflect his visions or expectations, because after all, Markus Babbel was a winner as a player coming from Bayern and certainly has the same drive and commitment to success as a manager. It is just a shame that it had to have such an acrimonious ending in Berlin for him.

With a new year upon them, Hertha BSC Berlin is looking into an uncertain future. Will a young squad work through the drama and prove resilient? Possibly. Will the new manager inspire them to end the season well clear of the relegation zone? Unlikely. Will more drama and frustration haunt the supporters? Most certainly. All in all, Hertha Berlin is back to its roots of drama, instability and frustration. The good thing is that Hertha has a few weeks to get used to a new manager, who can hopefully prepare them for a turbulent second half of the season.

When I was in Germany back in December, I watched an interview with Bayern Munich’s Sporting Director Christian Nerlinger. Part of the discussion revolved around Bayern’s interest in the newest young German football star, Marco Reus, who Bayern executive Karl-Heinz Rummenigge termed “a person of interest.” Nerlinger stated that when Bayern Munich wanted a player that they had certain ways and means to acquire them. Well it seems that Mr. Nerlinger did not anticipate Dortmund being equally as hungry (and aggressive) for the youngster as they were.

My fan-heart certainly skipped a beat when it came across the various e-medias that Reus decided to join Borussia Dortmund after this season for the fixed transfer fee of 17.1 million Euros. I am certain that Bayern could have offered more money in a salary sense, but nobody should be surprised by Reus’s decision. Reus was born in Dortmund, where his entire family, plus girlfriend live. He even played in the BVB youth squads until 2006 when he moved to Ahlen (just like his future (and past) teammate Kevin Großkreutz).

But this was not just a move of the heart that showed character and that family is more important than riches to some. It was also the practical choice. Dortmund, unlike Mönchengladbach, is almost guaranteed to play in the Champions League next season and gives Reus the best chances to make the needed development in his career to be one of the top German players for years to come. In Dortmund, unlike Bayern, Reus is almost guaranteed to start in most matches. Bayern has Robben, Ribery, and Thomas Müller ahead of him in the pecking order and Reus has too much playing ambition to sit on the bench most days, jeopardize his career outlook and end up frustrated, as happened with Lukas Podolski and Jan Schlaudraff in the past.

Overall, this is a great move for all; Reus, Dortmund, the Bundesliga and even the German national team. It adds more complexity and competition to the championship race for years to come by giving Dortmund another fantastic young playmaker, and makes the Bundesliga much more attractive. Plus, his furthered growth in a top club will certainly benefit Germany as well.